At a basic level, there is a lot that modern foreign language (MFL) teachers can do in everyday lessons that can have a big impact on most students, and which we may take for granted.
Project-based learning, collaborative work with partner schools, a rich extra-curricular activity programme, and opportunities to take languages outside the classroom are all important factors.
However, in this article, I want to concentrate on the basics: the ingredients for great teaching that motivates students to take responsibility for their learning.
What motivates students?
Over the years I have turned this question round and asked many students, especially boys: “What is it about languages that may put you off?”
I always get the same answer: “After years studying a language, I cannot speak it, or I feel like I am not making any progress.”
In other words, students complain about their inability to be able to communicate in real-life situations and consequently, they feel they haven’t made enough progress in their learning journey.
This was a real turning point for my teaching career. How can we create a rich curriculum focused on real communication which will allow students to make steady and impactful progress? One that, in return, will increase students’ confidence to speak and as result will intrinsically motivate them to make even more progress?
This made me think about what a footballer might remember at the end of their career. Is it the training that took place leading to playing a major match or the minutes they played in the actual match? Most certainly, their most memorable moment would be playing in the “big match” itself. However, of course, the coaching and the training are essential.
Creating ‘stickability’
If we are to equip students with the skills needed to put the language into practice in a real-life experience (through oral communication), the curriculum must provide opportunities to put linguistic skills to the test through specific projects and classroom or school-based activities or virtual exchanges. We must create “stickability” in everyday lessons, so students make progress and, crucially, feel that they are making progress.
Activities need to be not too easy, neither too difficult, but just right. This will motivate them to do well, to take pride in their learning and to become, ultimately, independent learners, able to speak in real-life situations. This is, of course, the Goldilocks Effect.
Part of my essential kit when it comes to teaching are Rosenshine's Principles of Instruction (2012). These principles build on the importance of giving students sufficient time to practise retrieval, ask questions, and get the desired help. For me, these are what MFL teachers need to really help students with their language training…
1, Modelling
At its most basic level, in MFL, this means modelling the structures and vocabulary we want students to master. At a more complex level, it means providing worked-out examples of good answers – for example, narrating our thought process to students for writing and speaking tasks at GCSE or A Level.
2, Scaffolded and guided practice
This involves extensive practice of structures, controlled by the teacher, with scaffolds for difficult tasks, until these are mastered (the power of overlearning), which will increase confidence and will help students make rapid progress; hence enhancing motivation.
If we add a real communication element (a little Big Match) to the practice process, such as a game or a real purpose to communicate, motivation is pretty much guaranteed!
I teach interactional language to be used in lessons, especially during games, from day one, to help acquisition. These may include utterances such as: “It’s my turn – I’ve won – You are cheating – Throw the dice.”
At this stage well-thought-out, sequenced translation activities from English into the target language are key. My motto for every lesson is: “How can I make my students feel clever today?” This allows me to establish a growth mindset in all my students which will foster motivation too.
3, Checking for understanding: The use of questions
A good session of questioning after key, structured practice, or as part of this, is extremely powerful and will lead to retrieval practice while keeping students alert and motivated. In other words, questions should be the centre of lessons. For them to engage, make sure you always reward accurate, correct answers, and adapt questions for different students and levels.
Ask students: “What have you understood?” versus “Have you understood?”
Ask students to tell you exactly what they got from your lesson and reteach, if necessary, any gaps in subsequent lessons. This is great as a plenary.
4, Retrieval practice: Interleaving and reviewing material
This is extremely important in languages; in fact, it is what we do all the time! Students must be given opportunities to revisit (and retrain) any given material repeatedly. This is critical in the case of grammatical structures but also with high-impact expressions that can be used in many different contexts, and which should be embedded quickly in the students' mastered lexicon corpus. Make sure that students obtain a high success rate before moving to a different concept.
5, Gradual mastery of concepts
Gradually, the scaffolding and support that we give students in “training” via guided practice can be removed so students start producing language fluently on their own, without having to be given prompts. When students manage to reach this stage, (as they are nearing readiness for their Big Match), even at a basic level, their confidence suddenly soars and with that, their motivation too.
At this stage, providing real audiences for students to be able to communicate in a Big Match scenario is the ideal. Wherever you have the time and resources, project-based learning with a real audience such as a partner school, senior leadership team, school assembly, A level students or parents, is always a big winner as someone will read or listen to the work/project that students have been working on.
This is their big match. If your school community has the funds, you may be able to link a trip to Spain, France, or Germany to your curriculum. Alternatively, some schools make great new connections abroad via email and video link as well as through virtual exchanges.
Final thoughts
By creating memorable, sticky lessons, with high expectations and lots of retrieval practice you will help students master content and make natural progress, which in return will make them feel confident and therefore more motivated.
So, how do we motivate students? By delivering great lessons, having high expectations, for all, providing learners with all the training they need to make progress (Rosenshine’s Principles) so that they believe in themselves and find languages achievable.
Esmeralda Saldago is an advanced skills teacher and former head of MFL. With 20 years’ experience, she is supporting Pearson’s More Than Words campaign which aims to encourage more young people to learn a language. www.go.pearson.com/MFLGCSE24
Further information & resources
- Rosenshine: Principles of instruction: Research-based strategies that all teachers should know, American Educator, Spring 2012: https://tinyurl.com/yc6mwuvj